Category: observations

Best Boot Forward – Putting Things Off

My regular readers may have seen previous posts for #BestBootForward – a regular feature hosted from the lovely ladies who blog at IndigoWilderness and Kate On Thin Ice. Weekly, these ladies want to help women succeed to fulfil their 2019 wishes. It’s been so great reading lots of positive posts weekly and seeing our blogging friendships grow.

This week, Kate has some thought provoking questions on procrastination. STOP PRESS: I have some exciting answers!!

  1. What are you putting off? Knuckling down and working on my book. Yup! A BOOK! You heard it here first. It’s non-fiction and is about a topic very close to my heart. It could potentially help a lot of people financially and live a healthier life. I’ve been meaning to write it for a couple of years. A few weeks ago I made a serious start on it, but I keep telling myself that no one will find it interesting, or that I am good enough as an author.
  2. How does putting it off make you feel? Annoyed at myself! I own a Kindle and I’ve read my fair share of free self-help books on it. I hate to say it, but many of which were totally forgettable. I suppose I am worried that my book will be the same. It’s quite an embarrassing thought really. I know I shouldn’t feel like this, as so many people have told me to write it. I just don’t want to let them down!
  3. What would happen if you took action instead of procrastinating? I’d have written a book! It may not be amazing, super intelligent or worthy of an award but I still would have written it. I may even have changed someone’s life. If anyone actually reads it, that is.
  4. How risky is the gamble you are taking by putting something off? Not risky at all. In fact, I suppose I am taking a risk by writing it! The only real risk I run by not writing it, is that I never shall fulfil my wish.

Find The Right Fit: Picking A School For Your Child

Choosing the right school for your kids to go to is always going to be a difficult choice. But it’s also an important one for your child’s education. In fact, some people move just so they are closer to the dream school they have in mind for their children. Here are a few of the factors that you may want to consider when you are picking a school out for your own children.

Uniform Or No Uniform?

Not all schools have a uniform. There are plenty that don’t, and it’s debatable which is the best option here. The argument for uniforms is that it creates an idea of unity and a sort of shared group or character. There are other benefits of the uniform of course. It hides discrepancies in the socio-economic traits of different students. Ultimately, this one is going to be a personal choice. But don’t assume that schools with a uniform provide the best level of education. This isn’t always true. If you are insisting n a no-uniform school, be prepared to move around the country to find one. The only non-uniform school that I personally was aware of, Stantonbury Campus in Milton Keynes, recently took on a uniform policy.

Academic Achievement

When you start to look at schools, you should be searching for their level of academic achievement. Some schools love to brag about how they have the highest grades in the country. Others will focus on achievements in extracurricular activities or the level of support they provide to their students. You’ll usually find information like this on the school website. Schools like Leicester High School boast that 44 percent of their students reached A grades at GCSE level in 2016. Whereas Aberdeen Grammar School seems more inclined to draw attention to their high number of different faculties.

Teaching Standards

Teaching standards is another area where the best schools will be able to show off their score of ‘excellent.’ It is important to explore teaching standards before you choose a school. Some fantastically reviewed schools actually have rather terrible teaching standards. You need to make sure that your kids are getting the best teachers in their classes because it’s the only way they are going to get fantastic grades.

Beyond School

You might also want to check out the stats on school leavers. How many students end up going to university and of those, what percentage gain access to red brick institutions? These are answers that are going to be important in the future and that you must ask now.

No Bullying

On occasion, you will find a school that promises no bullying. It’s best to steer clear of these schools because there is no such thing as a school with no issues with bullying at all. The issue is apparent in all education systems. What you should be looking for is a zero tolerance policy for bullying. While it is likely that issues with bullying will still occur they will be dealt with promptly before they impact your child.

I hope you use this advice to find the right school for your child and ensure they get the high level of education that they deserve.